The prices of 35mm film stocks have greatly increased in recent years due to a lack of demand from shifting to digital decades ago, and a sudden surge in the hobby popularized by celebrities and online influencers.
Due to the ever aging medium there are even fewer options to choose from as well (especially if we’re talking about color-negatives). Some film manufacturers have even decided to discontinue and condense their lineup, but that’s not the case with Lomography. The company recently introduced an all-new 400 ISO film stock for everyone to enjoy.
This is the 35mm Lomography LomoChrome Color ’92 400 ISO film stock, and as the name implies, it captures images with a 90’s vibe. The color-negative 35mm film is said to be suitable for various lighting conditions and features a very noticeable grain for a proper retro vibe.
Lomography sent us a sample roll, and I got to try it out to see how it performs. All photos below were taken using my trusted Minolta SRT101b paired with a Minolta MD 50mm f1.4 lens. They were also developed, processed, and scanned by Lomography themselves. No edits were made on Lightroom or Photoshop.
This means that the characteristics of what you see from the samples here are what you can expect from the film stock when you use it. Do note that my film camera did show signs of age. At the same time, if you have it developed by other labs, the output might differ a bit.
But for those of you wondering, this does use standard C41 processing, making it easy to find a lab that will develop and scan it for you.
I brought my camera loaded with the LomoChrome ‘92 to use for a weekend. Like most of my weekends, it’s spent around cars, and this time I used my camera to capture some of the cars at the Legends of the 90’s event.
It was a fairly dull, overcast day with lots of dark clouds all around the venue. With the lighting conditions changing quite often I did have to adjust my shutter speed and aperture every now and then.
Despite having to eyeball my shutter speed and aperture for the most, the film is quite forgiving in terms of exposure. Perhaps the most noticeable thing about the LomoChrome ‘92 is the grain, both on the highlights and shadows. The granules appear to be the same size all throughout the image, which further enhances the 90s vibe. It definitely matched the 90’s vibe of the event that I was at.
As for the color, there’s a noticeable green tint in all the photos, but this could be due to the film scan. One thing I did notice is that the colors didn’t come out as saturated as compared to other films I’ve used before such as the Fuji Superia X-Tra 400 or Kodak Portra 400 films I usually shoot with. However, it’s a nice difference since the less saturated colors and green tint are a good match with the grain.
When it comes to shooting, the film performs well when overexposed or perfectly balanced. It’s not that great when shooting underexposed. Even if you overexpose, the film is forgiving since some can still be retained. However, you’ll notice that the brighter images tend to hide the grain more. But when you get your settings right, that’s when the beauty of this film really comes out.
If you’re shooting in low-light or at night with the LomoChrome ‘92, you’ll have to prepare a lens with a wide aperture or, a slow shutter, or a flash to get the most out of the film. Just take a look at the example above to see how it performs at night with minimal lighting. Mind you, this is a daylight-balanced film. Although I never got to try, this film should work well with flash photography.
The majority of my photos were shot underexposed since I got used to shooting with my main DSLR. I usually edit my photos in post, and it seems that bad habit carried over when I switched to my film camera once again.
Nonetheless, I’m quite happy with how the photos came out with the LomoChrome ‘92.
What I liked about the film was how sharp the images turned out. Although a bunch of my shots were out of focus, the ones that were in focus looked crisp. There’s no real need to sharpen them after scanning, making it easier and faster to upload on social media or the like. You can try pushing or pulling the film by one stop for a different result, but Lomochrome recommends it being shot box speed.
Overall, the Lomography LomoChrome Color ’92 Film has been an enjoyable film to use and shoot. If you’re used to the Fujicolor C200, Superia X-Tra 400, or Ektachrome 100, I recommend trying this out. It gives off a different vibe and matches the 90’s aesthetic if you’re going for that look. Check out the rest of my photos in the album below.
The Lomography LomoChrome Color ‘92 Film is now on sale and is available in 35mm, 120, and 110 formats. This allows you to use it for a variety of film cameras, and it’s available on the Lomography Philippines website 21 along with other rolls of Lomography films. You may also check out their Facebook and Instagram pages for more information.
But what do you think of the Lomography LomoChrome ‘92 film? Is it something you would pick up as an alternative to your usual roll of film? Share your thoughts below.
